My camera was once an extension of myself. Even when it wasn't with me, I saw the world around me through a lens. Sure, my photography ebbed and flowed alongside the seasons of life. I would take all the pictures one day and only a few the next. This past year has ebbed longer than any other. I would take a few pictures one day and none the next. Then I stopped taking pictures altogether. And eventually, I stopped seeing the world through a lens.

It was a great year. One of the best in our ten years together. But even so, I knew all along I was missing a piece of myself. So last night, camera in hand, Mark and I took the boys to one of our favorite spots, and I saw my world through a lens once again. When we got home, I told Mark I remembered why I love taking pictures so much.